NIP Chapter 1081: Hard at Work
Chapter 1081: Hard at Work
How many of the updates and upgrades had Luca actually managed to tinker with?
Well...
Apparently, not a lot.
While it felt like they’d already gone through an absurd amount of things, the truth was that they’d only barely scratched the surface of the recent upgrades. In fact, Luca was honestly starting to feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of things they still had to consider.
Because of that, everyone eventually agreed it’d probably be best for the dungeon owner to take a small break first.
More importantly, if Luca continued browsing the Trove while emotionally compromised, the chances of him making impulsive decisions would rise dramatically.
Like how the little money-grubber had already been eyeing the newly available Level 1 [VENDING] skill ever since the earlier announcements.
Out of all the currently visible skills, that one was the only thing they already met the requirements for.
Luca’s hands had been itching nonstop to activate it.
After all—
Selling things.
Making CP.
Leveling up.
Who in their right mind wouldn’t want to immediately start with that?
Unfortunately for the eager dungeon owner, the others ended up intervening before he could spiral into a full-blown entrepreneurial episode.
"Brother," the blonde called out with startling sincerity, "wouldn’t it be better to check the remaining upgrades first before pouring all your attention into that one?"
"Huh?" Luca blinked in confusion.
Ollie sighed before continuing patiently, "I’m just worried you might miss out on something equally important..."
Honestly, the concern was extremely valid.
Knowing Luca, once he fixated on something, he’d absolutely develop tunnel vision over it.
If they allowed him to freely dive into vending-related matters right now, there was a very real possibility he’d spend the next several days obsessively thinking and running around looking for things to sell without paying as much attention to anything else happening around him.
Thus, to avoid such a terrifying future, everyone unanimously decided it’d be healthier for Luca to "window-shop" through the remaining upgrades first before emotionally committing himself to another dungeon-related business venture.
Heck, not to mention that aside from the ever-growing mountain of things they still needed to handle, they also had to show their faces at the Academy again within the week at the very least.
Thankfully, not for actual lessons.
And certainly not on a daily basis after all their original lobbying efforts.
As for that particular issue, Kyle had already submitted an explanation regarding why they still couldn’t properly return for events such as the recognition ceremonies.
However, following the much-discussed temporary closure of the Day Care, the excuse that they were still busy transferring management of DG’s Expo booth operations to the Imperial Palace—particularly under Imperial Butler Henry’s supervision—could only buy them so many extra days before it inevitably began sounding suspicious.
So really—
They needed to use their time wisely.
Admittedly, that might have been difficult to believe considering their look and current location, but they genuinely had been trying to make the most of every moment available to them.
Well.
At least for the most part.
__
"Kyaaaaaa~!"
The gleeful screech echoed across the shoreline together with a completely indiscriminate splash attack that nearly took out three innocent bystanders.
It may not look like it, but even in this situation, the young ones were really hard at work...
"Hey! Don’t run around without looking where you’re going! You might step on something sharp!" Kyle shouted while chasing after the blonde ball of energy currently sprinting through the shallow water like some freshly released sea creature.
The chase had already been going on for quite a while now, and watching the two of them, one might genuinely start questioning who the actual water ability user was supposed to be.
Then again, if the youngest Nox truly wanted to catch that runaway mop of blonde hair, Ollie probably wouldn’t have even managed a second skip across the water before getting hauled back.
But today, it was obvious that he was being encouraged to run amok by his extremely indulgent—and still suspiciously in denial—husband.
"But the water’s nice over here!" Ollie yelled back while kicking up another wave with absolutely no regard for human life.
Though honestly, among the lot of them, most people would’ve been far more concerned about the flimsy blonde getting swept away by the very water he was enthusiastically splashing around.
But this time, the resulting wave nearly smacked the crouching Prince Elior in the face.
"??!"
And what do you know, getting splashed probably would’ve been the better outcome.
But instead of the incoming wave he’d been bracing for, the prince could only sputter in utter disbelief as Princess Kira suddenly hoisted the giant that was him—straight up above the water like some sort of ceremonial offering.
"..."
"..."
Well, okay... that was rather unusual. But see, even that too was somehow part of their hard work and dedication!
Meanwhile, one Elven aide briefly considered how he was supposed to react to this situation, but deciding it was far safer for the preservation of his measly life to focus on loans and arrears instead of laughing, Rahil simply allowed the bizarre scene before him to continue unfolding naturally.
However, even as the Elven aide attempted to pick peace, a small splash still hit him from behind.
Said splash was from two little girls giggling as they jumped around in excitement.
"Hehe~" Princess Nina giggled innocently while holding up both hands. "That one was accidental."
"It absolutely wasn’t," Princess Marin said immediately, although she was smiling while attempting to do exactly the same thing.
Nearby, Theo looked like the only remotely peaceful person in the entire area.
At least initially.
The siren-blooded cadet was calmly waist-deep in the water, watching those small, unfamiliar fish dart between glowing coral-like rocks.
"It’s beautiful," Theo murmured softly as several colorful fish gathered near him fearlessly.
However, his peaceful moment was disturbed after seeing something alarming.
For not far from where they were, one redhead floated face-down in the water like a corpse.
Completely motionless.
"...Is he alive?"
Unsurprisingly, Noah, who had been standing nearby, answered.
"He’s been like that for ten minutes now."
"Should we check on him?!" The budding pharmacist looked alarmed.
But just as he said that, with a sudden fwoosh, Jax lifted his head from the water before raising one hand in a way that got everyone looking.
"There’s a crab fight happening down there," he announced seriously.
"..."
"..."
Okay.
Fine.
Maybe that particular exhibit wasn’t part of the cadets’ work to outline the upgrades, but it definitely had a lot to do with their fantastic display of time management!
Yes.
Most definitely!
See, at the moment, everyone was really just trying their best to improve Luca’s environment while he steadily descended deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole of things to purchase, things to upgrade, and things to optimize.
Thus, while the others frolicked by the beach under the extremely believable guise of "inspection," Luca himself was currently seated beneath a shaded area while being personally served an ice-cold drink by one dedicated Imperial Crown Prince.
Honestly, the scene looked a little too extravagant.
No, not the drink topped with a tiny colorful umbrella or the freshly peeled fruit arranged beside the carefully folded towel nearby—
Those were one thing too, but the truly eye-catching part of the entire scene was the "adornment" only Luca Kyros could possibly possess.
His one and only husband.
With a physique that most definitely should not have been casually visible in public, paired with the attentiveness of someone painfully observant toward Luca’s condition, Xavier—bless his entire existence—was very clearly trying to alleviate the mounting stress and impending emotional collapse threatening his little money-grubber.
And honestly, with someone like that tending to needs Luca himself hadn’t even realized yet, who wouldn’t start feeling leagues better?
At this point, even a wilted tree bark probably would’ve regained the will to thrive.
Though, to be honest, none of them had originally planned for such a break.
If anything, they were all looking slated to do different things all over the dungeon space.
However, after Luca finished overseeing the structure-related improvements—such as the mandatory upgrading of all compatible farmlands to Level III, inspecting the newly expanded settlement grounds, and checking for possible upgrades to the existing animal housing—they eventually arrived at a particularly dangerous stage.
A stage that absolutely warranted even greater psychological support.
Because from that point onward?
The upgrades had stopped being particularly straightforward.
Which was exactly how they ended up gathered by the beach after someone wisely suggested changing the scenery, knowing full well what could happen next.
And honestly, that precaution may have been painfully justified because the newest review session started off far too strongly.
Because Luca—who had finally decided to properly inspect the Trove upgrades they’d only skimmed past earlier amidst the chaos—nearly fell out of his seat from sheer excitement.
"Honey!"
Now, Xavier Solaris—the only one who could possibly answer to such a word from his little wife’s mouth—nearly sputtered out his drink on instinct.
However, his momentary fluster immediately turned into concern when he realized something deeply alarming.
Those sparkling golden eyes?
They weren’t even looking at him.
"???"